Forget Me Not
by Namir
Summary: Alternate reality story of Harry Potter, beginning in his first year. This time, there's two more surprises in store for him. How will these astonishing new influences change the classic tale? And how will Harry and his companions handle it?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter, not the character, not the story, not any of the other characters or places or things. The one thing I _do _own is Starla Anderson and the newly introduced characters pertaining to her. Steal her and face my wrath.

**Author's Note:** I know you may be a bit confused at first about what Starla has to do with Harry Potter, but don't worry! All questions will be answered in time.. Reviews are very much appreciated, and do let me know if you catch any spelling or grammatical errors! Spell-check was run several times, but you never know if Microsoft Word will run into a glitch.. Thank you, and enjoy the story!

* * *

Starla took a deep breath and stretched her arms over her head, relishing in the sun's warmth. She on the rooftop of the house she and her adopted family lived in, having gained access to it by climbing out of her bedroom window. This was her little haven, the place where she went when she needed to get away from everything. Specifically Cicely, her adopted sister. More like adopted monster. Cicely was a year older than Starla, and a first rate bully. So far she hadn't been able to find Starla's place of refuge, and for that the 11-year-old was grateful.

Starla had been adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Anderson when she was only a year old, from an orphanage in London. She couldn't remember much at all about her biological parents, just a few scattered images. She clung to these images, hoping someday that she might remember more, enough to find her parents. Maybe they could explain why she was so.. Strange. However, when she tried to recall their faces, all that came to her was the memory of a bright green flash of light.

Tucking a stray strand of long golden hair behind her ear, Starla stared up at the clear blue sky, watching a single cloud drift overhead. She hadn't been up here in a while, since the weather had made the roof unbearably hot. Today, though, was a blessed respite from the intense heat of summer.

A summer which would all too soon be coming to a close. There was little more than a month left before she would once again have to return to that hell-hole of a school. It wouldn't be _so_ bad if they learned about anything _interesting_. Yet every year it was the same old, mundane material.

The same old, irksome students.

Starla had no friends, not in school or outside of it. Unless one counted the stray cats she'd befriended, but that was understandable. She'd always felt more in tune with cats than humans. And ever since she'd hit an early puberty.. Well, she'd been more feline than ever.

Pushing those thoughts aside, she focused on something else. A bird. There was a bird flying off in the distance. Squinting her vivid green eyes, she saw that it wasn't one bird, but three. They all flew in the same general direction over the residential area of town. Then, as if by some signal, the birds suddenly split up. One continued to head towards her, and as it drew closer, she noticed with astonishment that it was a great horned owl. An owl flying around during the daytime? A great horned owl, whose habitat was in the Americas, in England? Well that was certainly odd.

Sitting up, Starla shielded her eyes from the bright sunlight and finally saw that the owl had something in its beak..

_A rodent for dinner, perhaps?_ She mused. _No.. That would have to be one odd-shaped rodent._ Whatever it clutched in its beak was rectangular and flat. _Nesting material? No, it's far from spring.._

Her eyes widened as she stopped focusing on details and noticed that the great bird had been slowly descending, all the while flying right at her. It was less than ten meters from her, and closing. She sat frozen, not daring to move for fear that she might frighten the creature off. Seven meters.. Six.. Five.. Four.. Three.. Her heart jumped into her throat One.. Two feet.. And the owl soared right over her head, then dropped its package directly into her lap and landed on the chimney not two feet away.

She gaped at the owl, and then at the envelope in her lap. It was a letter. And the address.. Starla forgot to breathe.

_Starla Anderson  
__5160 Birch Drive  
__Little Whinging, Surrey  
__The Roof_

Her hands shaking, she turned the letter over and inspected the red wax seal. The emblem was a shield adorned with other, smaller images, and a bold 'H' in the center. Surrounding the shield in a circle were the words, 'Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry'.

"Witchcraft and Wizardry?" She whispered to herself. Was this the answer to all of her unspoken questions?

"Well? Are you going to read it or not? I have other letters to deliver, you know."

Starla started and looked quickly around, but there was no one.. No one but the owl, which was still perched on the chimney. Her mouth went dry. Did it just…? No, it couldn't possibly have…

"You talk?" She blurted out, and was immediately embarrassed.

"No, you listen." The owl said simply. Starla noticed this time that she didn't hear the voice aloud, but in her mind. Yet somehow it was as clear as if the owl had spoken aloud.

She shook her head in amazement. This day was just getting weirder and weirder. It was almost too much..

"I have to wait for a reply. So if you don't mind..?" The owl bobbed its head in the direction of the envelope.

Fingers trembling, Starla used her long nails to carefully break the wax seal. She pulled several carefully folded papers out, and began to read the first one.

_Starla Anderson  
__5160 Birch Drive  
__Little Whinging, Surrey  
__The Roof_

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry  
__  
Dear Miss Anderson,  
__We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.  
__Term begins September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31. _

_Yours sincerely,  
__Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress_

Starla pinched herself when she finished reading the letter. Nope, she was definitely not dreaming.. Taking a deep breath, she turned to the owl and said, "It says here that they 'await my owl by no later than July 31'."

"I was told to wait for a reply, whether it comes now or days from now. It was assumed you did not have access to an owl with which to send your reply. If you do not reply immediately, I will deliver my other letters during the hours you are asleep, and be back by daybreak."

"Oh. I see." Still bewildered, she put the letter carefully back into the envelope. "I should probably show this to my parents." It seemed rude to leave the owl sitting on their chimney. "Would you like to come in?"

"Oh, no dear, thank you. Muggle homes are too enclosed for me. I'll just wait for you at the doorway." The great horned owl ruffled its feathers and stretched its legs, talons glinting in the sunlight.

"Right then.. I'll see you there." Starla watched as the owl bobbed its head once in assent and launched itself into the air, gliding slowly towards the front door. When it landed on the handrail, she shook herself out of her daze and carefully made her way to her window. Climbing through, she shut and locked it behind her and then went downstairs to find her parents.

Mrs. Anderson was in the kitchen whipping up a batch of cookies, undoubtedly at Cicely's insistence. She was a kind woman, but was far too lenient and doting with her birth daughter.

"Carolyn, I think there's something you and David should see." Starla said, leaning her elbows on the counter and fiddling with the envelope.

Carolyn Anderson looked up from her cooking and wiped her hands on her apron, subconsciously pursing her lips. Such a strange child. Despite the efforts of her and Mr. Anderson – David – to get the girl to call them Mum and Dad, Starla had persisted in calling them by their first names. Eventually they'd just given up, and let her go about her odd ways.

"What is it?" She asked warily, not quite sure she wanted to know. There was something about the expression on Starla's face..

Starla simply handed her the letter, then became intensely interested in a speck of dirt stuck under the nail of her thumb.

Carolyn reopened the envelope and read the letter. And she read it again. She had to read it three times before the words began to sink in. Her eyes widened and as she began to read it a fourth time she called, "David!"

When her husband came into the kitchen from the living room where he'd been reading the newspaper, she brandished the letter in his face. "Read this," She said in a slightly shrill voice.

He took the letter and pushed his reading glasses further up the bridge of his nose as he began to read. When he finished, he slowly lowered the letter and stared at Starla.

The girl smiled brightly at them and said, "Right, I'll leave you to it then."

With that, she turned and walked out the front door. The Andersons noticed for the first time that a large owl was perched just outside, and a squeak slipped out of Carolyn's agape mouth. Starla hopped up to sit on the railing next to the owl and though her voice was muffled through the door, they heard her say, "So, what's a muggle?"

David was barely able to catch his wife as she fainted.

* * *

Several hours had passed since the owl had first arrived. Carolyn had recovered and Cicely had come home from a friend's birthday party. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson had sent her straight up to her room so that she wouldn't hear their conversation.

Starla knew it was no good. The git would listen at the top of the stairs anyways.

David had come out on the front porch now and then – Carolyn had been too terrified to come near the imposing owl – to tentatively ask her questions, first about how she'd received the letter and then about the details of the letter. She'd only known a few of the answers, but the owl had been more than happy to provide her with the rest.

During the time when David and Carolyn remained in the house, talking the 'situation' over in hushed tones, Starla learned a few tantalizing tidbits about the wizarding world from her striking companion.

"Of course, other witches and wizards will be able to explain it all far better than I can. I, of course, see the world through a bird's viewpoint. I can tell you all about the owlery at Hogwarts, but I don't know the first thing about quiddich." The owl commented as she began to preen her feathers for the second time.

"What's quiddich?" Starla asked, watching the bird with emerald green eyes that were wide with interest and curiosity. It had felt very strange at first, conversing with a non-human being, but she'd quickly gotten over the shock and was now chatting away as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"I haven't the faintest idea. All I know is to stay away from the quiddich pitch whenever a game's on. An impact with a broom going full speed isn't exactly a pleasant sensation."

Starla raised her eyebrows at that, but saved her inquiries about brooms for another time.

David tapped on the door from the inside to alert the two of his presence than opened the door, stepping just outside. His gaze flicked nervously to the owl, but he swallowed his anxiety and asked, "Starla, would you come inside please? Your mother and I want to talk to you."

"You held a séance without me? I thought I was supposed to be the witch here," Starla quipped.

David's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What?"

"My mother's dead." Easy enough to say. It was what she'd been told was the case. Yet the girl couldn't help holding out hope that somehow the adoption agency had been mistaken, and that her birth mother was still out there somewhere.

Mr. Anderson frowned. His adopted daughter's eccentricities could at times baffle him beyond his wit's end. Such a peculiar girl, with such peculiar, unblinking eyes. Sometimes her stare alone was enough to make him shudder.

"Just come inside, Starla."

She shrugged and hopped down off of the railing, following David inside. Not many people got her jokes. Her adopted family certainly didn't.

David sat down next to his wife on the living room couch while Starla settled cross-legged into the recliner across from them. Starla laced her fingers together in her lap and smiled slightly, the very image of polite attention.

David cleared his throat and began, "Your mother and I have talked it over, and we have decided that this Warthogs school doesn't seem all that bad, and it's not as expensive as the school you're currently going to."

"Hogwarts, David."

He frowned at the girl. "What?"

"It's called Hogwarts, not Warthogs."

Mr. Anderson clenched his teeth and ignored her correction. "We have made the decision to allow you to attend this school."

Starla's eyes lit up and her skin flushed with excitement. "Really?" She whispered. Then she gave a cry of joy and leapt from her seat, hugging both of her parents before snatching the letter up. She paused at the front door, her hand on the doorknob, and looked back at them. "Thank you." And then she was out the door and pouring out the good news to the owl.

Mr. and Mrs. Anderson sat stunned. In all the years that they'd had her, the child had never shown so much enthusiasm and affection. The embrace had come as a shock – they couldn't remember the last time she'd hugged them. It had only been a fleeting touch of her slender arms, but it had still been a hug.

Carolyn stared after the child she'd taken in and raised for the past three years and wondered, could she send the girl miles upon miles away to a place they hardly knew anything about? Could she take the risk that being educated at this school for witches and wizards would only ostracize her more from normal folk? The answer was suddenly, yes. Much as she'd tried to love Starla, tried to be the mother the waif needed, she just couldn't. There was a rift between them, a canyon far too wide to build a bridge across. She would never understand her, but perhaps these Hogwarts folk would.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing, except Karen. So all HP related stuff does belong to JKR.

**A/N:** This is another bit of exposition. The good stuff won't really come till the next chapter. But please R&R anyway!

* * *

Karen Jameson lay in her bed trying to drown out the obnoxious noise of her foster sister, Mary's, singing lesson. The two teenage girls normally kept to themselves, neither one liking the other much more than puréed chickpeas. _Why in the world do my foster parents make the sessions so darn early?_ Karen asked herself, frustrated. She practically crawled out of bed before putting on her baggy boys cargo jeans, a camisole, and her blue flannel shirt. She grabbed her giant bouncy ball, which was her only form of entertainment that she enjoyed.

She strolled into the kitchen with her ears covered, whistling. Her foster mother rolled her eyes as Karen gave her a look that clearly said, "Why this early?" Karen used it as an alarm for the weekends. She didn't like to get up before she had to, but 8:30 was still a little early. She quickly ate her cereal before heading outside.

"Grab the mail while you're out there, Karen!" she heard her foster father call as she went out. She yelled back in acknowledgement.

She ran out to the mail first before she forgot. _Bills, bills, bills, and… _"What the hell?" she whispered aloud as she heard something crunch under her feet. There was a letter sitting in front of a small owl. She wasn't that big on animals so she couldn't recognize a specific breed. She picked up the letter to see that it was addressed to her. There was emerald green fancy writing on the front that read:

_Karen Jameson  
17 Church Street  
Little Whinging, Surrey  
__The Front Walk_

She flipped the envelope over to reveal an old-fashioned red wax seal with the words "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry" surrounding it. She folded her first ever piece of mail and put it in the front pocket of her flannel shirt.

"Hey, Mom," Karen called to her foster mother as she went back inside.

"Yes, Karen?"

"Have you ever heard of a school called Hogwarts?"

"No, why?"

"I got a letter from them." Karen walked into the kitchen and put the other mail on the table. She then sat and opened the letter. It was written on old parchment and had fancy script on the top with the school's name again. The message written in such small, neat handwriting startled her.

_Dear Miss Jameson,  
__We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.  
Term begins September 1. __We await your owl by no later than July 31._

It was signed by Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress. Also, at the top of the letter, it stated that the Headmaster was Albus Dumbledore. _Such odd names…_ Karen thought as she read the letter over again. "We await your owl by no later than July 31," she whispered. "I don't have an owl…" she went to the window and found that the owl that she almost stepped on earlier was perched on her mailbox.

"What was the letter about, Karen?" her foster mother asked her as Karen walked back into the kitchen. She handed the envelope and letter to her foster mother before trying to grasp the contents of the letter. "How are you going to tell them you'll be there?" Joyce, her foster mother finally said.

Karen looked up, surprised. "You mean I can go?"

"Of course! How could I refuse to let you go?" Karen hugged her thanks and ran to her room. She quickly scribbled a note that said she would be attending Hogwarts in the fall. She then walked outside with her piece of notebook paper and a piece of string. The owl was still perched on her mailbox. Karen approached the animal slowly. It turned its head and stuck out its leg. Karen tied the letter to its leg and watched it fly off.

Karen went back to her room and looked in the envelope again and found it was thicker than before. There was another folded piece of parchment. She unfolded to find that it was a list of school supplies. She read them off silently, thinking about where she could get these. Finally she came to one certain item that caught her eye.

"Where in the world am I going to get a wand?"


End file.
